title: Source terms and attenuation lengths for estimating shielding requirements or dose analyses of proton therapy accelerators.
abstract: Proton therapy accelerators in the energy range of 100-300 MeV could potentially produce intense secondary radiation, which must be carefully evaluated and shielded for the purpose of radiation safety in a densely populated hospital. Monte Carlo simulations are generally the most accurate method for accelerator shielding design. However, simplified approaches such as the commonly used point-source line-of-sight model are usually preferable on many practical occasions, especially for scoping shielding design or quick sensitivity studies. This work provides a set of reliable shielding data with reasonable coverage of common target and shielding materials for 100-300 MeV proton accelerators. The shielding data, including source terms and attenuation lengths, were derived from a consistent curve fitting process of a number of depth-dose distributions within the shield, which were systematically calculated by using MCNPX for various beam-target shield configurations. The general characteristics and qualities of this data set are presented. Possible applications in cases of single- and double-layer shielding are considered and demonstrated.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nuclear Engineering and Science, National Tsing-Hua University, 101, Sec. 2, Kuang-Fu Road, Hsinchu, Taiwan. rjsheu@mx.nthu.edu.tw
authors.forename: Rong-Jiun
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Sheu
authors.forename: Bo-Lun
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Uei-Tyng
authors.initials: UT
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Shiang-Huei
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D010315:Particle Accelerators; D061766:Proton Therapy; D011522:Protons / Q000009:adverse effects; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000379:methods*; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted
chemical_list: D011522:Protons